Annual Director’s Talk: Built to Inspire

Join Kim Sajet, Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director of the Milwaukee Art Museum, for the inaugural Director’s Talk. Hear about the ideas shaping the Museum’s future, the role creativity plays in building community, and how the Museum continues to evolve as a welcoming place for curiosity, conversation, and connection.

About Kim Sajet: Dr. Kim Sajet, Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director, is a passionate advocate for the arts with an international perspective. Born in Nigeria to Dutch parents and raised in Australia, Kim has led museums across the globe and worked at leading cultural institutions in the US, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery—which she led for 12 years before joining the Milwaukee Art Museum. She holds degrees in art history, business, and museum studies, and a doctorate from Georgetown University, where her research explored the power of photography in shaping social change. Kim believes museums are not only places to see extraordinary works of art, but also spaces where people come together to share ideas, spark curiosity, and celebrate creativity.

Image: Gabriela Riveros, untitled digital illustration, commissioned by the Milwaukee Art Museum for the “Inspired by Milwaukee” campaign, 2026.